


The Pain of Mistakes

by WillowSong



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fullmetal Alchemist Ending Spoilers, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-17
Updated: 2014-11-17
Packaged: 2018-02-25 17:52:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2630870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WillowSong/pseuds/WillowSong
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alphonse is struggling with the emotional pain of what he and Edward went through.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Pain of Mistakes

**Author's Note:**

> I kind of thought it would be interesting to explore Al's post-traumatic stress a little bit. I guess I kind of have a head canon that he (as well as Ed) would definitely have some kind of pts after everything they went through. Poor babies. :'(

Al stood at the window, watching soft snow falling in a white blanket onto the ground. The sky was dark, clouds covering the light of the stars and leaving the harsh yellow glow of the street lamps the only light for him to see by.

He opened the window and stuck his hand out into the cold air. A few snowflakes settled on his fingers and he drew his hand back inside, staring at the dots of white as they melted against the heat of his skin.

“Al, what are you doing up?”

He turned to see Edward sitting up in his bed, blinking sleepily toward his younger brother.

“This is the first time I’ve been able to touch snow since I got my body back,” Al said, turning back to the window. “I wanted to see what it felt like.” When Ed didn’t reply, he continued. “You know, I keep having nightmares. I used to dread them when I was little, but now I almost look forward to them. I think that’s because it just proves that I’m human again.”

“You never stopped being human,” Ed replied fiercely.

Al shrugged. “Maybe.”

“What are your nightmares about?” Ed asked.

“Everything. Being trapped in that suit of armor, you losing your arm and leg, mom dying, Hughes dying, the Homunculus. Do you ever get nightmares like that?”

He heard the springs of Ed’s bed shift and the soft padding of feet on wood floor as Ed crossed the room to stand next to him.

“Every single night,” Ed replied softly, looking at the snow. “We’ve seen and done some fucked up shit, Al. There’s no way we could have walked away from all of it without some scars.” He absentmindedly traced the scars from where his automail used to be, flexing his new fingers.

“Sometimes I think I’m going to wake up and find out that all of it was a dream and we’ll still be back in Resembool with mom,” Al said. “And I guess I always hoped that by the time we got our bodies back we would be able to forgive ourselves. But I don’t think we’re ever going to be able to forgive ourselves. Not after everything we’ve done.”

Ed shook his head. “It’s in the past, Al. It was a sucky past, I’ll give you that, but we’ve got to move forward.” He turned and rested his hand gently on his brother’s arm. “It’s all over now and we’ve got our entire lives ahead of us to do whatever we want. We just have to take it one day at a time.”

Al smiled sadly and stuck his hand back out the window catching more snowflakes on his hand. “Living is scary, bother,” he whispered.

“Of course it is, that’s why it’s so hard.” Ed took his hand from Al’s shoulder and reached outside the window as well, watching the snowflakes fall around his fingers. “But we’re experts at dealing with hard shit. It’s nothing we can’t handle. We just need to figure out where to start.”

They stood together in silence, watching the snow, until the first light of the new day began to creep over the horizon. It was a new day and a new beginning.

Mistakes were for yesterday.


End file.
